


Love Bug

by Cour104



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Keith centric, M/M, but not too much Angst, like mostly fluff with just the right amount of angst, love bug au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 11:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11850507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cour104/pseuds/Cour104
Summary: While exploring an alien planet, Lance get's bit by a strange bug whose venom causes him to fall in love with the first person he sees. Of course that person had to be Keith.I've seen a lot of fics based the Love Bug AU  where Keith is bitten by the bug and I thought: What if Lance is bitten?





	Love Bug

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on @eyugho's Love Bug AU on tumblr. I've read a lot of fics based on this au and it is becoming one of my favorites. So, I wanted to contribute my own fic and changed it up so that Lance gets bitten instead of Keith.

Pidge and Hunk muttered excitedly to themselves, foraging ahead, their eyes scanning over their charts. Keith walked silently, doing his best to ignore Lance’s loud complaints from where he trudged behind the rest of the group. The four of them had taken a pod down to explore a goldilocks planet the Blade of Marmora had discovered. The planet supposedly lacked intelligent life and was far from any Galra bases. As such, Kolivan had sent Allura the coordinates, asking if they could check it out in hopes of turning it into a new base or refugee camp. Although she was wary at first, still distrustful and expecting a trap, she reluctantly agreed. Shiro had stayed on the castleship, in case an emergency were to arise in which they would need someone to pilot a lion. Though if you asked Keith he’d say that was just an excuse so the two could have some alone time.

“Ugh, it’s too hot on this planet!” Lance groaned for about the twelfth time in the past two minutes.

“Then take off your jacket, genius.” Keith could hardly suppress his eye roll.

“No can do, Mullet. It’s my signature style. How else will the ladies recognize me?”

“You do realize this planet is uninhabited, right?”

“Um, excuse me, but I’ve swatted away at least twenty bugs. So it is inhabited!”

“Were you going to flirt with a bug?” Keith asked amused, hearing Lance come to a halt behind him.

“You know what? Whatever!” Lance threw his arms across his chest. “I’m done talking to you! You are officially getting the silent treatment!” 

“And here I thought my day couldn’t get any better,” Keith replied with a smirk. He could hear Lance stomping behind him, likely fighting the urge to retort. 

Taking a deep breath, Keith let out a sigh, reveling in the silence. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few ticks until-

“Ow!” Lance cried and Keith heard a smacking noise.

Keith paused, turning to cast Lance a glare.

“What is it this time?”

“Something just bit me!” Lance’s voice teetered on the edge of panic, his eyes wide and his hands scratching at his neck. 

“Let me see.” Keith made his way to him, swatting away his hands and inspecting the bite. It didn’t look too bad, just a small red bump. “You’ll be fine.”

“I-I don’t know. I feel kinda weird.” He blinked, his eyes unfocused. 

Keith shifted from foot to foot with unease, watching his teammate with concern. He was about to call Pidge and Hunk when suddenly a pair of arms were wrapped around him. He went rigid, not used to physical contact.  _ Especially _ from Lance.

“Um, what are you doing?” He asked, doing his best to pry Lance from around his middle.

“Giving you a hug.”

“Yes, I can see that,” Keith groaned inwardly, “do you mind telling me why?”

“Because I love you.”

“Hunk! Pidge! We need medical attention immediately!”

Keith probably should have worded that better. Luckily, the initial shock and panic wore off fast and Pidge pulled out her camera while Hunk did his best to pull his best friend away from the seething Red Paladin. Pidge stifled a laugh as Keith lunged, unsuccessfully, for her camera, and stuck out her tongue.

“Pidge, this is serious!” Keith crossed his arms, unamused by her antics. “Lance needs help!”

“What else is new?” She shrugged, sounding unimpressed. She smirked as she looked through her photos.

“Pidge, really, let’s get back to the pod,” Hunk struggled to hold Lance, who fought against his grip. “We already have enough data. Besides, Coran should probably run a few tests. Just to be safe.”

Keith nodded in agreement and Pidge sighed, following behind the others. Lance finally broke through Hunk’s hold, launching himself at Keith and hugging his arm. Hunk sent him an apologetic look but he didn’t acknowledge it, just groaning as he dragged Lance toward the pod.

The ride back the castleship was uncomfortable, to say the least, Keith squirming in Lance’s grip the entire way. It was also silent, save for the occasional shutter of Pidge’s camera. But finally they made it back, dragging Lance to medbay.

“So?” Keith urged as Coran inspected the test results. He sat next to Lance who once again had his arms wrapped around him. 

“Yes, well, it appears that the venom from the creature is affecting Lance’s endocrine system. He has elevated levels of serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, et cetera.”

“In English please.”

“I was speaking in English but I suppose that was one of your  _ figures of speech  _ or whatnot. To explain in an understandable way, it appears that certain hormones responsible for love and affection are currently being pumped in surplus through Lance’s system. He is, for all intensive purposes, in love with you, Keith.”

“Why me?” Keith groaned.

“You were the first person he saw after being bitten, meaning that you’re the one he’s currently associating all these happy feelings with.”

“Can’t I just, you know, tell him that I don’t like him and to leave me alone?”

“That is a negative. In his current state rejection will leave him very despondent and depressed.”

“Keith, man, you are not breaking my best bro’s heart,” Hunk piped up, a worried look on his face. 

“I’m with Hunk,” Pidge crossed her arms, though Keith suspected that she was more interested in gaining blackmail material than in Lance’s feelings.

“Fine!” Keith relented with a sigh, “but does he always have to be hugging me?”

Lance didn’t seem to notice when Keith turned to glare at him, only snuggling closer into his shoulder. Coran began tapping away at his computer.

“It appears that physical contact with you is like a drug to him while in this state. When separated it will almost be like he’s going through withdraw, making him very restless and desperate to be with you again. Luckily, small touches should be enough to hold him over, though he’ll likely crave hugs and other such types of contact.”

Keith nodded as he took in the words. It wasn’t that he hated being touched or anything, but Lance’s arms felt foreign as they pressed against him. It wasn’t something he was used to. 

“How long will it last?” Keith silently prayed it would only be a few varga’s at most. 

“A few quintants, one of your Earth weeks at most.”

Of course. Keith let out a sigh, ignoring the looks of pity sent his way.

“Great… Just great,” he grumbled, wrenching his arm from Lance’s grip. “I’m going to bed. I’m sure he can survive one night without me.”

He exited the room, listening as Lance attempted to follow him, only to be held back. He felt a little bad about ditching him, but he was tired and there was no way he’d be able to sleep with Lance clinging to him like a baby koala. 

***

The second Keith opened his door opened Lance was there. He felt a jolt go through him as Lance wrapped him in a hug, his skin prickling at the contact. 

“Oh, uh, good morning?” Keith greeted, doing his best to sound normal.

“I missed you!” Lance hugged him tighter as he began walking down the hall.

He wasn’t even sure what to do now. He couldn’t train with another person attached to him. He felt on edge as they went, hyper aware of Lance’s presence. Finally, he stopped.

“Lance listen,” he took a deep breath, hoping to say this as delicately as possible. “I’m not… I’m not like you. I’m not used to this. I don’t come from a big family. I don’t have a lot of friends. I know that even when you’re not high on alien bug venom your affectionate. Always hugging Hunk. Throwing your arms around people’s shoulders. Letting random aliens hold you bridal style. I’m not like that. And it’s not like I don’t like affection, I think, it’s just that I’m not used to it. It just… I feel weird.”

Lance’s eyes widened and he let go, taking a step back.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

Keith frowned as he noticed the guilt spread across Lance’s face.

“I know, it’s okay,” he assured. “You didn’t know. Like I said, you’re used to that type of stuff. I’m just… Not. It’s not bad or anything, I think I just need time to get used to it is all.”

Lance nodded, drinking in Keith’s words. He tentatively reached for Keith’s hand, his fingers barely brushing his skin. He held it carefully, as if it were made of glass, and looked up at Keith.

“Is this okay?” His eyes searched Keith’s face for any signs of discomfort and Keith fought the blush that threatened to make its way onto his cheeks. He nodded and Lance’s face broke into a wide smile as he intertwined their fingers. It was going to be a long week.

The rest of the day passed by relatively normal, though Keith was forced to do everything one handed while Lance fondly watched him. It was eerie how silent he was, though it made it easier for Keith to ignore him. If not for the warmth of his hand he’d almost forget Lance was there.

“Paladins,” Allura’s voice crackled over the speakers and Keith nearly dropped his blade, which was balanced on his knees as he attempted to polish it. “Please join me for a brief meeting. I will expect you here in two dobashes.”

Keith rolled his eyes as he put his blade away. Even when there was no emergency tardiness would not be tolerated. Keith just thought Allura liked coming up with reasons to make them train harder, claiming extra practices to be punishments. Not that Keith minded, he spent most of his free time in the training room anyways.

The two made their way down the hall and Keith wondered if their allotted time had passed. He didn’t think so. Still, he wondered how difficult it’d be to complete whatever drills Allura would set up for them while Lance clung to his hand. He suspected it’d be pretty challenging, even for him.

They entered the room and everyone turned to look at them. Hunk stifled a laugh and Shiro sent Pidge a disapproving look as she held up her camera. Allura watched them carefully, an amused look on her face. Keith felt his face heat up at the attention and unconsciously took a step closer to Lance, who gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. It brought Keith back to reality and he glared at his team, pulling his hand from Lance’s and stepping away. He didn’t know what was worse, Lance’s frown or how cold his hand felt.

Allura cleared her throat, regaining the room’s attention. Keith let out a sigh of relief as everyone turned to look at her. Well, everyone but Lance, whose gaze stubbornly remained on him.

“We’ve received a transmission from a nearby planet. They are a very technologically advanced species who’ve heard a great deal about Voltron. When the Castle of Lions entered their solar system their satellites picked up our presence. They’ve invited us to visit their planet, eager to meet you Paladins and establish an alliance with us to help take down Zarkon.”

Keith frowned as everyone began chattering excitedly. Meeting with strange aliens wasn’t one of his favorite Paladin duties. It was better than a battle he supposed. Besides, usually when they established an alliance with a species they met with a small group of diplomats in a secluded part of the planet. He smiled, this wouldn’t be too bad.

“They’re throwing us a small party at their royal palace to welcome us. Luckily, it’s nothing formal, so your normal Earth clothes should do. We’ll be descending into their atmosphere in a few dobashes. Sorry about the short notice, but they insisted we come straight away. They’re very excited to meet us. As I’ve said, they’ve heard a great deal of stories regarding us.” With one last apologetic glance she began to pilot the ship.

Keith felt Lance’s hand return to his and looked up to see Lance beaming at him. He gave a small smile in return, his stomach twisting with unease as the atmosphere got closer and closer. This would be fine.

It wasn’t fine.

The group stepped onto the surface and Keith felt dizzy as he took in the scene. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of aliens stood in a crowd to greet them. He couldn’t tell what they looked like, their features blurring together into one giant mass. His ears buzzed, overwhelmed by their excited chatter. He turned to Lance, whose mouth was moving, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

“What?” He managed to force out.

“I asked if you were okay. You kinda spaced out there for a second and your nails are digging into my hand.”

Keith’s face flushed and he loosened his grip. He wondered if the normal Lance would care if he was okay. He didn’t think so, as the rest of the Paladins, even Shiro, had already disappeared into the crowd.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just taking it all in, you know?” Keith lied. Lance studied him, clearly unsure, but finally accepted his answer, his face breaking into another grin.

“It’s exciting right? All these people here to see us?”

Keith nodded. He was glad that even with his hormones all messed up Lance still loved attention. The only difference this time was that he remained at Keith’s side rather than running off to flirt with some random alien girl. 

They made their way into the crowd and Keith pressed close to Lance’s side. There wasn’t much room to squeeze through everyone, after all. When they made into what Keith had to assume was the center, the aliens finally seemed to take notice of them, closing in around them and buzzing with questions.

“What color Paladins are you?” One alien asked and Keith felt his throat go dry. Thankfully Lance answered the question for him.

“How does it feel to form Voltron?”

“How close are you to defeating Zakon?”

“Whe-...Galra...Volton-” The questions began to blend together, intangible words floating in the air. 

They got closer and closer. Cameras flashed and Keith blinked against the dark spots that danced in his vision. He clung to Lance's arm. There were so many of them. Too many. He fought to breath. They were taking all the air.  _ There wasn’t enough air _ . He could feel himself beginning to panic.

Lance pushed Keith behind him and he wondered if the bug bite had worn off. If Lance was back to normal, jealous that Keith was getting attention. He registered that they were backing away and he realized that Lance was shielding him with his body. He held onto his arm tighter.

“-eith! Keith!” Keith blinked. Lance was standing in front of him, concern etched into his features. He gripped Keith’s shoulders, shaking them slightly as he tried to get his attention. They were away from the crowd. “Just breath with me. Inhale… Exhale.” Keith listened to what he said, feeling the anxiety slowly drain from his body as he followed Lance’s breathing. “Good,” he commented, letting his grip loosen. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Keith lied, hugging his arms against his chest as if the gesture could hold him together.

Lance frowned, his gaze softening as his eyes scanned Keith’s face, as if reading a book.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Keith gave a small nod. “Okay, stay here. I’m gonna go find Allura and explain the situation.”

“Wait!” Keith grabbed Lance’s arm, stopping him as he turned to leave. “W-what if they find me? We don’t exactly look like them… What if they start asking me questions and you aren’t here?” Keith’s eyes began to prickle and he felt a tear fall onto his cheek.

“It’ll be okay,” Lance promised, reaching up to wipe the tear. “Here.” He took off his jacket and pulled it over Keith’s shoulders.

Keith slipped his arms into it and immediately felt warmer. Secure. Lance gave him a small smile and pulled the hood up, covering most of Keith’s face.

“There, now no one will recognize you.”

“Thank you,” Keith’s voice was barely a whisper but Lance’s face lit up nonetheless. Keith ignored the way it made his heart flutter, blaming it on the anxiety.

Lance darted back into the crowd and Keith focused on his breathing. Several dobashes passed before he returned, panting for breath as he smiled at Keith. Did he run the whole way back and forth?

“Allura isn’t happy that two of the Paladins won’t be present during the negotiations but she understands,” a frown pulled at his lips, “the uh, the only problem is…” He sighed, pointing somewhere in the distance. “The castleship is over there, which is directly through the crowd. I, uh, I already checked and there’s no way around them. We’ll have to go through.”

Keith paled. Through the crowd?

“It’ll be okay,” Lance promised. Keith wasn't too sure.

He flashed Keith a confident smile, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling something out. Were those Pidge’s headphones? Did he just carry them around or something?

“They’re noise cancelling,” he revealed, “now what I’m going to need you to do is hold onto me okay? And squeeze your eyes closed real tight. Can you do that?” Keith nodded and Lance smiled. 

He placed the headphones over Keith’s ears and the sounds of the crowd immediately disappeared. He clung to Lance, wrapping his arms around his middle and burying his face in his shoulder. He knew he was being ridiculous and that Lance would probably make fun of him when he was back to normal, but at the moment he couldn’t bring himself to care. They began walking and Keith tensed as he brushed past someone. Lance pulled him closer, one of his arms tightening his grip around him. His other arm reached up, running his fingers through Keith’s hair. He relaxed, instantly soothed.

Sooner than Keith would have expected they were back at the castle and Lance was easing him onto the couch.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Lance tilted his head, his eyes refusing to stray from Keith’s.

Keith gave a small shrug. “It’s not that big of a deal. I just get anxious around unfamiliar people. It’s usually fine I just… Panic if there’s too many. Ugh, it’s so stupid, you’re probably going to laugh at me when you get back to normal.”

“I’d never do that!” Lance assured, reaching out and pulling Keith’s hand into his own. “Besides, it’s not stupid. My sister has anxiety too and I’ve seen first hand how bad it can get.”

“Is that how you knew what to do?”

Lance nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I always keep a careful eye on her during big family gatherings. I can usually tell when she’s about to panic and make sure to get her away from everyone and calm her down.”

Keith noticed that Lance got a bright sparkle in his eyes when he talked about his family and couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. All too soon it faded though and the room fell into silence, Lance content with just staring at Keith. He frowned. Normally Lance was never quiet, whether he was reminiscing about Earth or getting under his teammates skin. He never thought he’d miss the sound of Lance’s voice but he did. 

“Hey Lance,” Keith began and Lance perked up, eager to hear what Keith had to say. “Can you tell me about…” Food? No that was Hunk. Tech? No that was Pidge… “The beach.”

Lance’s eyes lit up again.

“Varadero Beach is the best! I can almost feel the sand between my toes, the sun kissing my skin, the waves lapping over my ankles. The salty sea spray against my face. Wind in my hair. My nieces and nephews used to build the biggest sandcastles! Once I let them bury me in the sand and my sister called them in for lunch and they left me there for two hours! I didn’t mind though… It was a fun day.” He sighed contently before he began talking about the garlic knots at a nearby pizzeria.

Keith listened intently, finding himself absorbing Lance’s stories. He’d never had a family of his own so it was nice hear about Lance’s. Speaking of Lance, he sat with his side pressed against Keith. Normally Keith would have been agitated by this. Would have pointed out how big the couch was and how much room there was on the other side. But right now Lance’s presence filled Keith with comfort. A warmth that spread from his side throughout his body. His head fell on Lance's shoulder as his words washed over him, his voice lulling him to sleep.

_ Click.  _ Keith blinked groggily at the flash of light. He was laying on something warm. No,  _ someone _ warm. His mind quickly registered that he was cuddled to Lance's chest. Lance who was currently playing with Keith's hair and smiling down at him. 

He jumped up at the sound of giggling, pushing Lance away and pretending his heart didn't twinge at his frown. He turned to glare, his eyes passing over his team.

Pidge shrugged unapologetically, shoving her camera back into her pocket and turning to leave, no longer interested now that she had what she'd come for. Hunk looked like he was holding back squeals, dancing in place as he watched the two. Shiro had a small smile but managed to keep himself composed.

“We just wanted to let you know that we just finished making the alliance,” he informed, “I'm sorry that you had to leave so soon. Allura told me that you weren't feeling well?” Concern made its way into Shiro's features.

“I'm fine now,” Keith promised though Shiro didn't look too assured. 

“Come talk to me if you still feel bad in the morning or if it gets worse, okay?” Keith nodded. “Get some rest, we have training in the morning.”

“We're doing training? But what about…” Keith trailed off, motioning his head in Lance's direction.

“He should be fine. Allura wants to see how it goes.” Shiro shrugged. “Take care of yourself.” He ruffled Keith's hair and left the room.

Keith was left alone with Lance, who was still smiling at him. It was a soft smile, the one usually reserved for when he talked about Earth or Blue. But there it was, plastered against his face. It was sweet. It was also unnerving.

“So, uh, how long was I out?” Keith hoped his voice didn't come out as awkward as he thought it would. If it did then Lance didn't seem to noticed.

“Only about a Varga or so. I moved so you would be more comfortable laying against my chest rather than sitting up against my shoulder. Also, at one point it looked like you were starting to get a nightmare so I started playing with your hair since it seemed to calm you earlier. Did you have a nightmare?”

Keith blinked, furrow in his brows in concentration. “Not that I remember.”

Lance beamed. “Yay! Then it must've worked.”

Keith shifted awkwardly in his seat.

“Yeah, um, thanks I guess? Listen, I'm going to hit the hay. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Lance frowned as Keith got up, his eyes following him as he left the room.

“Goodnight!” He called after him.

Keith made his way down the hall, thankful to finally be alone. Though, he couldn't deny how empty his hand felt. He pushed the thought aside, not even bothering to change as he collapsed into his bed. He kicked off his shoes, his head hardly hitting the pillow before sleep overtook him.

He woke to footsteps outside his door. He groaned, wishing he wasn't such a light sleeper. If this was Hunk sneaking to the kitchen for a midnight snack again he was about to receive a very strong lecture.

Keith's door slid open and Lance stopped from where he appeared to be pacing.

“Keith!” His face lit up as he rushed towards him. He threw out his arms as if to give Keith a hug and then stopped himself, clearly remembering Keith's words from that morning  (had it only been that morning?). He chose to grasp Keith's hand instead. “I missed you!”

“Yeah, uh, I missed you too,” Keith studied Lance's face, frowning at the bags under his eyes. “Have you gotten any sleep? Remember what Shiro said, we have training in the morning.”

Lance nodded. “I know. I tried to sleep but I just couldn't. I missed you too much!”

Coran's words rung in Keith's mind.  _ When separated it will almost be like he’s going through withdraw, making him very restless and desperate to be with you again.  _ He sighed.

“Go get your pillow and blanket.”

Lance tilted his head in confusion but quickly obliged, scurrying off to his room. Keith figured he was either incapable of refusing or understood Keith's line of thinking and knew he had to hurry before he changed his mind. Either way, he returned within a few ticks, out of breath and clutching his pillow to his chest.

Keith took a step inside the door, motioning for Lance to follow.

“You can sleep on the floor if you want. Mi casa es su casa, or whatever.”

Lance gave him a small smile as he set up a makeshift bed. “I say that.”

Keith blinked, a frown tugging at his lips. He  _ had _ heard Lance use that expression sometimes around the castle. 

“ _ This isn't even a house Lance. Besides, if it was anyone's house it be Allura’s not yours.” _

_ “Shut up, Mullet.” _

A small smile played on his lips. Who would have thought that after only a day he’d miss Lance’s annoying antics? He shook his head, effectively clearing it. Now wasn’t the time to think about Lance, especially when he was laying on his floor, holding his hand, and smiling up at him like he was the night sky.

“Lance, you have to actually  _ close your eyes _ to go to sleep,” he reminded with exasperation.

Lance pouted but complied, his breathing soon becoming soft and steady. Keith let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling. His hand hung off the bed, still in Lance’s gasp. He considered pulling it away but wasn’t sure if the lack of contact would wake Lance and didn’t want to risk it, they had a long day ahead of them. Besides, Lance’s hand was warm in his. Contact that at first might have felt awkward was beginning to feel natural to Keith. Comfortable. He let Lance’s warmth spread through him as he drifted off to sleep.

***

Keith woke to Lance hovering over him. He jumped, fighting the urge to reach for his blade.

“Lance! Wha-” Oh, right, weird bug bite. How could he forget. “A little space, please,” he requested, lightly pushing Lance back so he could sit up. 

“Good morning!” Lance greeted, grabbing Keith’s hand and flashing him a smile.

Keith used his free hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes and begin trying to detangle his hair.

“I can help with that!” Lance revealed, dropping Keith’s hand and moving to sit behind him. He began dragging his fingers through his hair, effectively getting out the tangles. “I used to help my sister with her hair all the time!” He began pulling it up into a ponytail, wrapping a hair tie around it. Where had Lance found a hair tie in space?

“Um, what are you doing?” Keith asked, confusion in his voice as Lance finished.

“I’ve always wanted to see you with your hair up,” Lance replied with a shrug.  _ He had?  _ “I figured if I made fun of your mullet enough eventually you’d get the hint but you never did. But that’s okay, I love you anyways.” 

Keith’s face flushed as Lance grabbed his hand again.

“I, uh, I didn’t have a hair tie.”

“You can keep that one. I don’t need it anymore anyways. It was my sister’s and I guess I just had it in my pocket when I left for the Garrison. I was gonna throw it away but it was a nice reminder of home. I was planning on letting Pidge borrow it once her hair starts growing out but I think you need it more.”

“Thanks,” Keith blinked, staring at Lance as his mind fought to process what just happened. “So… Breakfast?”

They hadn’t even sat down before Keith heard the camera click. He groaned, by the time this week was finally over Pidge would have an entire photo album full of picture of him and Lance.

“I...I really like your hair Keith. It suits you,” Hunk commented and Keith could tell he was holding back laughter.

“Is that Lance’s jacket?” It was Pidge’s turn to speak, her eyes calculating.

Keith froze from where he was reaching out to grab a plate, his eyes looking down at what he was wearing.  _ Oh _ . He’d forgotten about that. He was wearing it last night as well but he guessed they hadn’t noticed due to how dark it had been at the time, the castleship’s lights dimming during the night to help the Paladin’s circadian rhythm. At least that’s what Coran had said when he began his spiel during their first couple of weeks in space.

“Yeah, I um…” Keith’s mouth felt dry, his cheeks heating up as everyone stared at him, awaiting his explanation. He squeezed Lance’s hand, a silent cry for help.

“He was cold,” Lance answered for him and Keith let out a sigh of relief, the tension draining from his body.

“Then why didn't he just wear his jacket?” Pidge crossed her arms, a smug expression.

Lance gave a small snort. “You can hardly call that a jacket.”

“It is a jacket!” Keith protested, having had this same argument with Lance already on several different occasions. However, where normal Lance would throw out a not-so-witty comeback this Lance looked like he was about to cry. Keith felt his heart twinge, he hadn't meant to yell at him. He forgot how sensitive this Lance was. He had to fix this, the rest of the team was looking at him with varying degrees of disbelief for hurting Lance's feelings. “I mean, uh, you're right Lance. This jacket is way more efficient than mine.”

Lance's face lit up again and Keith winced. Normal Lance was going to hold that over him for the rest of his life. 

The rest of breakfast passed by relatively uneventful, the team finishing their food goo before heading off to put on their gear and gather in the training room.

“Okay Paladins,” Allura’s voice rang out through the room as everyone activated their shields and bayards, their backs pressed together as they awaited the attack. “Remember, protect each other. If you’re hit, you’re out. If your teammate’s hit then there’s no one to protect you.”

Everyone nodded, anticipation and adrenaline coursing through their veins as the first training bot dropped from the sky. Hunk easily blasted it, two more bots falling to replace it as it collapsed uselessly. Pidge let out a war cry, slashing out with her bayard at the one closest to her. Shiro followed her lead, his hand glowing purple as it sliced through a bot. Everyone was doing great. That is, until the long range fighters joined the party.

These bots stood at a distance, blasters held steadily to their shoulders as they aimed and fired. The group was forced to take the defensive, their shields held close. One aimed at Keith who readied his shield, bracing for impact. It never came.

“Keith, watch out!” Lance lunged, tackling Keith to the ground. The shot hit Lance in the back and he fell through the floor.

In the few ticks it took Keith to process what had just happened the floor below him had disappeared as and he joined Lance, who immediately grabbed his shoulders, his eyes scanning over him to asses the damage.

“Are you hurt?” He fretted, a concerned frown on his face.

“Lance, I’m fine,” he assured and Lance let out a sigh of relief, his usual smile returning as he grabbed Keith’s hand. “You didn’t have to do that though, I had my shield prepared.”

“I know,” Lance look away guiltily, “I just… I couldn’t just stand there when I knew you were in danger.”   


Keith sighed, he understood where Lance was coming from. It’s hard to stand by and let the ones you care about risk their lives. That didn’t mean it was okay for Lance to sacrifice himself though. Especially when the “danger” had been a relatively easy training exercise. He was about to voice these concerns when the rest of the team joined them, landing in one mass heap on the floor.

“Well, that could have gone better,” Shiro admitted, rubbing his shoulder in discomfort.

“Does that mean training is over?” Hunk asked hopefully.

“There are other training exercises we can do that don’t involve fighting,” Shiro reminded and Hunk’s face fell. “We still need to work on bonding as a team.”

“What? But we’re like totally bonded!” Hunk protested and Pidge elbowed him in the side. “Ow! Pidge, what the heck? Stop laughing! We’re bonded right? Right?”

Shiro watched them bicker with a small laugh, eventually regaining their attention and telling them to get ready for the invisible maze exercise. Keith and Lance went first, Keith watching from above as Lance looked around confused.

“Keith?” He called, taking a step forward, a shock going through him as he hit a wall. He blinked, attempting to walk forward again and getting the same result.

Keith stifled a laugh as he watched. “Okay, Lance, take a step to your right.”

Lance perked up at the sound of Keith’s voice, his head swivelling as he searched for where it came from. Only, it came from his helmet, meaning he spun in a circle.

“Keith?” He asked again, clearly distraught. “Are we playing hide and seek? I’m great at that game! My siblings could never beat me!” 

“This is a training exercise, just listen to my directions,” Keith instructed and Lance nodded.

He listened intently, carefully following Keith’s instructions. He made it about halfway through the maze before he stopped again.

“Why are you still hiding from me?” He asked with a pout. 

“I’m not hiding. It’s a training exercise,” Keith reminded in exasperation.

“I don’t like it!” Lance stomped his foot, crossing his arms against  his chest like an angry toddler. “I miss you!”

“I miss you too. You can see me as soon as you get through the maze.”

“Really?” Lance was filled with renewed energy, his annoyance melting away, replaced with excitement.

“Yes, now take two steps to your— LANCE!”

Lance had begun ramming himself against the wall at full force, eager to finish the maze.

“Allura! Take the maze down!”

The maze fell away as Keith hurried down to the training room floor. Lance’s eyes lit up when he saw him and immediately ran to him, grasping his hand.

“I found you!” Lance had a dazed expression and Keith couldn't stop himself from laughing.

“Yeah,” he intertwined their fingers, trailing his thumb against Lance’s hand. “I guess you did.”

The other’s soon joined them, each watching with varying degrees of concern.

“So is there a training exercise that won’t almost get Lance killed?” Hunk questioned.

Allura had an ah-ha moment, rushing from the room and returning moments later, carrying a bunch of headbands. Pidge let out a groan.

“That again? I hate people in my head hole.”

“I know,” Allura almost looked sympathetic, “but as Paladins of Voltron you must have complete trust with one another.”

Everyone sighed, sitting on the floor in a small circle and reluctantly placing the headbands on their heads. Shiro’s thoughts immediately formed the black lion, his face pinched in concentration. Hunk’s thoughts lingered on burritos, shifting to Shay for a few ticks before finally turning into his lion. Pidge struggled, a picture of her family flickering as she forced it to change into the green lion. Keith’s thoughts wandered and he heard stifled laughter. 

He looked up at Pidge, who had her eyebrow raised. He felt his cheeks burn as he realized where he thought had finally landed. An image floated in front of him, displaying his and Lance’s intertwined fingers. It shifted to Lance’s face, his gaze soft as he stared at Keith. He immediately banished the thought, the Red Lion replacing the Blue Paladin. But it was too late.

Lance, on the other hand, had no qualms about his thoughts. Images flashed in front of him, all of Keith. Keith with his hair tied up. Keith sleeping. Keith with tears streaking his face, panic clear in his eyes. He thought they’d stop there, but they went on further than that. Keith in his Paladin gear, bayard in hand. Keith with angry expression on his face, his arms crossed tightly against his chest. Keith in his Garrison uniform, beaming with pride after stepping out of his first aced stimulator. 

“Lance, you need to form think about Blue for this exercise to work,” Keith hoped his voice didn’t betray him, revealing how tight his chest felt.

“But I can’t stop thinking about you,” Lance smiled at him and he struggled to keep the Red Lion displayed in front of him.

“Okay, this is getting weird,” Pidge pulled off her headband, “I’m out.”

She pushed herself off the ground and exited the room. Hunk followed quickly behind her, muttering something about lunch. Keith sighed, pulling off his own headband before reaching out to take Lance’s. He stood and pulled Lance up with him.

“You normally think about your family during that exercise,” he mentioned nonchalantly as they wandered down the hall.

“You are my family.”

Keith stopped. “I meant your  _ real _ family.”

Lances eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Team Voltron is a real family.”

“Lance, blood is thicker than water.”

“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”

Keith blinked in confusion.

“It’s the full quote,” Lance explained with a shrug. “Can I ask you something?”

Keith nodded as they started walking again, no destination in mind.

“You never think about your family during that exercise. You… You don’t have one, do you?”

Lance’s voice was hesitant as he spoke and Keith looked away.

“No.”

“Well, you do now!” Where Keith expected pity Lance only smiled at him. “Team Voltron’s your family. And once we kick Zarkon’s butt and go back to Earth you can come with me and be part of my blood family. I’m sure they’ll love you!”

“You don’t mean that.” 

It was the bug venom talking Keith reminded himself. It was something he’d been reminding himself a lot lately.

“Sure I do! They’re really accepting!”

“Lance, just drop it, okay?” Keith bristled, picking up the pace and tugging on Lance’s arm, forcing him to keep up.

Lance remained quiet for the rest of the day. 

***

_ The ion cannon fired. The particle barrier wasn’t strong enough. It shattered like glass, the castleship engulfed in flames. Warning lights flashed before his eyes as Red spiraled. His ears rang, screaming filling the comms. Zarkon had won. He’d failed. _

Keith woke with a start, a cold sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. He struggled to steady his breathing as images from his dream flashed before his eyes. He hugged his pillow to his chest and fought against the tears that threatened to spill onto his cheeks.

“What happened?” Lance’s voice was groggy as he sat up, woken by Keith’s outburst.

“N-nothing, go back to sleep,” Keith lied, hoping to hold on to at least one shard of dignity. Lance didn’t need to see him like this. 

Lance sobered at the sound of Keith’s voice, competent enough to realize that something was in fact wrong. He pushed himself off the ground and perched on the edge of Keith’s bed. 

“Bad dream?”

Keith nodded, using his arm to wipe away the tears that had began to trail down his face. Lance reached up and held his face.

“I know nightmares can be scary, but you’re okay. We’re okay. The castleship’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

He used his thumb to collect the new tears that began to fall, dropping his hands as Keith nodded again.

“I-I know. But it felt so  _ real _ . Zarkon… He… And everyone was… You were…” Keith couldn’t string together a sentence, the tears falling freely now as he sobbed.

_ Zarkon won. Everyone’s lions were falling. You were screaming and I couldn’t help. _

Lance pulled Keith to his chest, his sobs muffled as he buried his face into the crook of Lance’s neck. Nightmares were an often occurance, but this was the first time Keith had let himself break. The first time the thoughts weren’t pushed away as he evaded sleep in favor of training. 

Keith felt his eyes grow heavy as the last of his tears stained Lance’s shirt. The room grew quiet, save for his ragged breathing, as his sobs faded away. He felt content.

“Why don’t you try to go back to sleep?” Lance suggested.

“Okay,” Keith agreed with a sniffle. Lance smiled, moving to go back to the floor. Keith stopped him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt from where he leaned against him. “C-can you stay actually.”

“Of course.”

Keith knew it was wrong. He knew the normal Lance would have said no. Would have laughed at the request. But this wasn’t the normal Lance.

Lance’s presence put Keith at ease. The steady rising and falling of his chest reminding Keith that he was here. He was alive. He was safe. Everyone was.

***

No problems arose until day five. 

It was an unusually quiet day. No distress signals, no training, no battles. Nothing for the Paladins to do but relax. Which is why Pidge deemed it the perfect day to test out her newest invention. Well, it wasn’t an invention exactly, just a recreation of something that already existed.

“You sure this is going to work?” Hunk asked dubiously. 

Pidge buzzed with excitement as she hooked up a bundle of wires, a tangled heap of varying lengths and colors.

“Positive! I used the same elements as my laptop to make this television. Allura found some memory crystals containing Altean movies and I imported them into the hard drive. For all intensive purposes, this should play them.”

She pressed a few buttons on the makeshift tv and a hologram flickered to life. She let out a tiny squeal of excitement and scurried over to the couch. Coran dimmed the lights as everyone joined her. 

Lance sat too close to Keith again, their sides pressed together. Only this time Keith didn’t notice, having long-since grown used to Lance’s presence, his constant contact warm and familiar.

An Altean man appeared on the screen and Allura provided some commentary about the actor as Coran launched into a story about a time they had met, during which Allura shook her head, prompting the Paladins laughter.

“I did too meet him!” Coran crossed his arms.

“Of course you did,” Allura offered mock sympathy.

Everyone quieted as the story progressed, English subtitles scrolling across the bottom of the screen, as Pidge hadn’t been able to translate the ancient language. 

Keith was too engrossed in the movie to realize just how close he’d gotten to Lance. That is until he heard the camera click and Pidges stifled giggles. Apparently she found them more interesting than the actual movie. Lance’s arm was draped over Keith’s shoulders and Keith's was resting on Lance’s chest.

“What?” He asked defensively.

“You comfortable?” Pidge asked, her voice amused.

Keith sat up, pulling away from Lance and crossing his arms with a huff.

“Listen, I figure if he’s going to be all affectionate and everything I might as well take advantage of the situation.”

“Is this all you’re taking advantage of?” Shiro questioned, looking concerned.

“What do you mean?”

“Well Lance isn’t in his right mind right now. He’s not doing any of this of his own free will.”

Keith felt like he’d been slapped at what Shiro implied. That if it weren’t for that bug Lance wouldn’t be anywhere near Keith. 

“I-I-” Keith faltered, failing to form a reply.

“Can I talk to you? Alone.” Shiro stood, exiting the room without even checking to make sure Keith was following.

Keith got up as well, motioning for Lance to stay seated as he followed Shiro out of the room. Pidge and Hunk let out scandalized “Ooooh’s” as if Keith were being called to the principal's office.

“I’m worried about you,” Shiro began before the door had even shut behind him. “I don’t want you to get used to this. I don’t want you to get hurt when Lance gets back to normal.”

“I’m not. I won’t,” Keith lied.

“That’s not Lance, Keith. Don’t forget that.”

“I know!” Keith insisted, doing his best to keep his anger at bay.

“You don’t even know if Lance will remember any of this. I don’t want this to be like the bonding moment.”

Keith’s cheeks heated up at the mention.

“I know this, okay?” He stormed from the room. “Come on Lance, we’re going to bed!”

He grabbed Lance as he passed, dragging him to their room.  _ His  _ room. 

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked as they got into bed.

“Nothing!” Keith seethed, “Just go to sleep!”

Lance knew better than continue to pry.

Shiro’s words swirled in Keith’s mind.  _ That’s not Lance. _ Except, it  _ is _ Lance. Sure he may be quieter and obsessed with Keith, but he was still  _ Lance _ . Affectionate Lance who threw himself across the team’s laps as they lounged on the couch. Caring Lance, who carefully tended to Pidge’s scraped knee despite her protests. Passionate Lance, who talked about Earth and his family every chance he got.

The same Lance who couldn’t stand Keith. Keith let the realization flow through him, making his heart heavy. Part of him dared to hope it could always be like this– soft touches, warm smiles, and comfort. But the rest of him knew the truth. The bug bite would wear off and Lance would hate him.

His stomach churned at the way Lance was currently looking at him. His eyes sparkling, his expression fond.

“Can you stop looking at me like that!” He bit out, his throat tight.

“Like what?” Lance tilted his head in confusion.

“Like you love me.”

“But I do love you.”

“No you don’t!” Keith exploded, his eyes burning. He sat up, pushing Lance from the bed. “You don’t love me and you never will!”

“Keith-”

“No! Just go away!”

_ Please stay. _

“Leave me alone! I don’t want you near me!”

_ I need you. _

Lance couldn’t hide the hurt in his face as he got up, gathering his blanket from the floor and hunching his shoulders and he left the room. Tears streamed from Keith’s face as he watched Lance go. It was the third time Keith had cried that week. The only difference was that this time he was alone.

***

Keith was greeted with several glares as he joined his team for breakfast.

“Dude, you promised not to break his heart,” Hunk reminded. 

Keith just offered a shrug. He was too tired to deal with this, nightmares having kept him up all night. Though their terrible imagery couldn’t make him feel as bad as he did when he thought about Lance’s hurt expression.

“You need to go apologize,” Pidge added, pointing a spoon in his direction. “He’s refusing to leave his room.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to train now that I finally got him to leave me alone.”

Keith had a lot of emotions he needed to take out on the bots before he snapped and stabbed one of his teammates.

“Keith,” Shiro warned.

“What do you want me to say?” Keith stood, his fists in balls. “Hey Lance, sorry I told you to go away, I didn’t mean it! The truth is it hurts too bad to look at your face and know that the only reason you’re looking at me like that is because of some space bug! Do you want me to tell him how terrified that I am that he’ll completely despise me when this is over?” Keith shouted, tears beginning to burn his eyes. Keith noted that he’s probably cried more in these past few days than he has the entire time he’s been in space. “Hey Lance! Turns out I really enjoy holding your hand, but I know you’ll never want to touch me again by the end of the week so I need to stop pretending you will!” 

He heard a soft  _ “oh”  _ and turned to see Lance at the end of the room.

“I was hungry,” he revealed quietly, the room falling into an awkward silence. “And I missed you,” he added, slowly making his way over to Keith.

Keith looked away and Lance cringed.

“Listen,” Lance began, grabbing one of Keith’s hands and holding it between his own. “I know I’m not completely the same as usual. I know my feelings aren’t genuine right now, but they could be one day. I can’t promise that they will be, but I can promise I can never hate you. We’re teammates. _ Family _ .”

He heard several “aww’s” and an “ew” he suspected came from Pidge as Lance pulled him into a hug.

He also heard an infamous camera shutter.

***

The next morning Keith woke up before Lance and took the opportunity to shower and get ready for the day. When he returned to his room Lance was sitting on his bed, a dazed expression on his face. Keith smiled, he must have just woken up and be wondering where he went. He was happy that he hadn’t tried to go find him, that would have been awkward. 

“Morning, Sunshine,” Keith greeted as he tied up his hair and Lance turned to blink at him. “You should probably start getting ready,” Keith walked over to stand next to him, grabbing his hand and rubbing his thumb across it. “Remember what Allura said, we’re going to that planet to make an alliance. After we made that alliance a few days ago a lot more planet’s have been contacting us. Apparently it’s a big deal.”

Lance stared down at their hands before a tentative smile formed on his lips. It was more hesitant than his usual smiles and Keith wondered if he was still recovering from their fight.

“Of course I remember. I have a great memory, you have to in my family. Do you know how many birthdays I have to remember? And do you know what happens if you you forget one?” He paused suddenly frowning. “Do you think I’ve missed any?”

“Hey,” Keith placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder, “it doesn’t matter. You’re giving your entire family the best gift they could ever ask for. You’re protecting them from Zarkon and keeping the universe safe.”

“I don’t know,” a small smile played on Lance’s face. “I’m pretty sure if you asked my niece what the best gift she could ask for was she’d say it was a Barbie Dream House. But protecting the universe is pretty important too I guess.”

“I’ll tell you what, once we defeat Zarkon and all the parades are over and we return to Earth we can go to Toys R Us and buy every Barbie product we can find. Then we’ll take them to your niece and hope she forgives you for missing her birthday party.”

“That’d be nice,” the fond smile returned to Lance’s face and Keith pretended it didn’t make his heart speed up. “I really want to bring you to one of my family’s parties. I have a cousin who’s thirteen, maybe we can make it back to Earth before her Quinceañera.”

“What, two years? Yeah, that’s plenty of time to take down a 10,000 year old empire. We might even be done by her fourteenth birthday.”

“I wonder if we’ll make it home before my birthday. I’m turning 18 in July.”

“Wait, you’re  _ turning _ 18? Ha! I’m older than you!”

“Whatever,” Lance crossed his arms, “I’m still taller.”

“And later, you aren’t even dressed yet. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

“What, you’re just abandoning me?” Lance called after him, jumping from the bed in mock betrayal.

“Yep!”

After breakfast the team gathered in preparation for the descent onto the planet they planned on forming an alliance with. Lance was currently talking with Hunk and Pidge and Keith silently wondered if the bug bite venom was beginning to wear off.

“Hey, Ponytail!” Lance called when Keith entered, making his way over to him. 

Keith groaned, unappreciative of the new nickname. Though, he supposed it was better than Mullet.

“Really?” Keith raised an eyebrow but Lance just shrugged, grabbing Keith’s hand.

“I need to talk to you,” he pulled Keith to the side, out of earshot of the other Paladins. “Are you going to be okay to go today? I’m sure Allura will understand if you need to stay on the ship.”

Keith blinked. He hadn’t been expecting that.

“I should be fine,” he assured, “I just wasn’t expecting that many people last time.”

“I know, I’m just worried. I don’t want you to-”

“Lance, it’s fine,” Keith reiterated firmly. “Besides,” he gave a small smile, “I have you.”

Lance smiled back, giving Keith’s hand a small squeeze as the castleship touched down on the planet.

“You ready?” He asked as the rest of the team stepped onto the planet.

Keith nodded and Lance gave his hand another squeeze as they followed the others, who were escorted into a lavish palace. He let out a sigh of relief when they were led to a room where only a handful of aliens seemed to be present. Hopefully this would turn out to be dignified meeting rather than a party.

It had.

“This is boring,” Lance complained from where they sat at the back of the room, watching as Allura and Shiro talked with the aliens. “What do you think Pidge is doing over there?”

Pidge and Hunk sat on the opposite side of the room, Allura having learned to separate the Paladins during these meeting after they almost started a civil war. In Keith’s defense, he’d told Lance  _ not  _ to fly the drone Pidge had reprogrammed out of boredom. Now that he thought about it, that might be why Lance had done it. Either way, it’d gone haywire and hit the queen in the face. Allura had not been pleased.

“What, am I not good enough for you?” Keith teased as Lance stood on his toes, attempting to spot the shorter Paladin through the crowd.

“I don’t know, can you reprogram advanced alien technologies?”

Keith hummed in consideration. “No, I guess I can’t. But I can do _ this _ .”

He reached up, pulling Lance down to to sit next next to him and wrapping him in his arms.

“Okay, this is pretty great,” Lance admitted, revelling in Keith’s embrace.

The rest of the meeting passed by quickly and the two got up as everyone began to mill around. An alien girl approached them and Keith tensed, unwilling to talk to a random stranger. Lance gave his hand a squeeze and gave him a look that said  _ don’t worry, I’ve got this. _

“Hey, beautiful,” he greeted, sauntering up to her, “are you an alien? Because you’re out of this world.”

She blinked in confusion. “I mean, yes?”

“Oh… I guess that one doesn’t work in space. Okay what about did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” She scoffed, turning and walking away. “Get it? Because you’re an angel!”

Keith laughed and Lance stuck out his tongue.

“What like you can do better?”

“I probably could, yeah.”

“Fine, have at it,” he motioned out to the crowd with a smirk.

Keith ignored the motion, choosing instead to turn to Lance with a smirk of his own, his eyes calculating.

“Your eyes are bluer than the ocean and I’m lost at sea,” he said, going as far as to add Lance’s signature finger guns.

Blush spread across Lance’s face and Keith let out a laugh.

“Th-that was really bad.  I loved it,” Lance managed to get out before succumbing to laughter himself. “Come on, Ponytail, before we’re left behind.”

He tugged on Keith’s arm, pulling Keith through the crowd as the other Paladins began to depart, giving their farewells as they went.

When they got back to the castleship Coran called Lance in for a check-up, scanning him with some Altean device. If Keith was being honest, he had almost forgotten about about the bug bite thing. Lance had been so _ Lance  _ today that Keith almost believed his feelings were genuine.

“It’s been one of your Earth weeks,” Coran began, studying the results, “so the bug bite venom should be out of his system. However, according to these calculations Lance still has elevated levels of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. It appears to be less severe than when he was first exposed to the venom but they’re present nonetheless. I’ll began preparing an antidote, it’ll be ready by tomorrow morning,” he finished with a cheerful smile before sending the two on their way.

Keith couldn’t stop the frown the spread across his face. If he didn’t know better, he’d say Lance was frowning too. Still, for the rest of the day Lance didn’t stray from Keith’s side and that night he could have sworn that Lance held him just a little tighter, as if he knew that their time was coming to an end.

***

Keith fidgeted nervously beside Lance as Coran finished preparing the antidote.

“Hey, uh, Lance,” Keith began. Lance hummed in acknowledgement and he continued. “Do you think I could maybe have one last hug. You know, before-”

Keith was cut off as Lance’s arms wrapped around him. Warm. Familiar. He melted into the embrace.

“The antidote’s ready, my boy!” Coran revealed, “I bet you two are happy that this is finally coming to an end!”

“Uh, yeah,” Keith lied, letting Lance’s hand fall from his grip. “I have to go.”

He couldn’t be there when Lance went back to normal. Despite the promise that Lance wouldn’t hate him, he wasn’t too sure. And he definitely didn’t want to stick around and find out.

Keith felt cold, his hand empty. He knew this was coming, so why did it hurt so much? 

He did his best to avoid Lance, up until the point where Pidge insisted he join the rest of the team for another movie night. He reluctantly agreed, hoping a movie would help distract him from his thoughts.

He sat too close to Lance. He blamed it on habit, having grown used to their sides touching as they lounged on the couch. He considered moving, but Lance didn’t seem to mind. The movie began and no one noticed. He decided to stay.

As the movie played Keith’s head grew heavy, his eyes tired as the scanned the screen. Ever so slowly his head fell until it rested on Lance’s shoulder. Lance’s breath hitched at the contact, his body going rigid. Keith felt his cheeks heat up as he realized what he’d done. He was about to pull away when slowly Lance’s hand reached for his, his fingers tracing a path cross his skin as he laced their fingers together. A warmth spread through Keith like spring after a long summer. It felt like home.

But soon the movie came to an end and the two headed their separate ways. Keith found himself staring at the ceiling, sleep evading him as he replayed the night’s events.  _ Lance _ had let him sit too close.  _ Lance  _ had held his hand. Not bug venom Lance, just  _ Lance _ . He felt dizzy at the realization, as if he were floating.

He jumped at the knock on his door, mumbling a quick “come in.” The door slid open and Lance entered.

“Uh, hi,” he greeted awkwardly, his gaze on the floor. “I just- ugh how do I put this… I’m a liar! The effects of the venom _ did _ wear off after a week but I still liked you. It wasn’t consuming like before, but the feelings were still there. And then you held my hand and I just… Wanted it to stay that way. But I thought that maybe you were only tolerating me because of the bite. I’m sorry. Are you mad?”

Keith took a few ticks to process his rambled confession before bursting into laughter, relief bubbling to the surface. He grabbed Lance’s hand, pulling him into his bed and wrapping his arms around him.

“Um, what are you doing?” 

“Giving you a hug.” Keith stated the obvious.

“But why?” Lance asked, still confused as to why Keith wasn’t yelling at him.

“Because I love you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> *Keith and Lance show up at breakfast the next morning holding hands*  
> Coran: Was my antidote not effective?  
> Pidge: I've already created the slideshow that will play at your wedding. No need to thank me, I just expect at least 1/3 of your wedding gifts. And a thank you.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! My Tumblr is @theincredibleshippingqueen follow if you want :)


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